introduction

Verklärte Nacht (1995) presents a shamelessly romantic love story, in which the contrasting feelings of a man and a woman are dissected and interpreted in an expressive duet/trio based on Schönberg's eponymous musical score. The music will be performed live by the Ictus ensemble and Brussels Philharmonic.

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In 1986, De Keersmaeker first ventured into the terrain of contemporary classical music with Bartók's string quartet Quartet No. 4. In a choreography punctuated by both playful and combative accents, De Keersmaeker took on the task of distilling a dance score out of Bartók's complex rhythms and layered harmonies. In Die Grosse Fuge (1992), De Keersmaeker sets out to find a male vocabulary, with Rosas’ dancers challenging gravity in a piece that sought to provide a physical translation of Beethoven's ingenious use of counterpoint. Each of the three pieces constitutes a choreographic response to a specific historical score, unveiling De Keersmaeker's penchant for both abstract conceptualisation and narrative composition.

In Brussels the music will be performed live. The Ictus ensemble will interpret Quartet no. 4 and Die Grosse Fuge, while the Brussels Philharmonic will play Verklärte Nacht under the baton of Alain Franco.